(CNS): Paris Gabriella Ebanks (26), a passenger in the back of a car involved in a deadly crash during a police chase in January 2021, is suing the RCIPS over the life-threatening injuries and pain she has suffered. Ebanks claims that the high-speed, early morning chase in West Bay caused the crash in which Shayne Anthony Ewart was killed, and both she and the driver were badly injured.

Tarrick Crawford (29) was behind the wheel of the 2003 Honda Accord when it smashed into a wall, and he has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and inflicting grievous bodily harm over the collision. However, Crawford, who suffers from mental health issues, has not been arraigned because the case has been delayed on numerous occasions due to challenges regarding a fitness-to-plea report.

In a lawsuit filed last week, Ebanks stated that because of the chase, both Crawford and the police reached double the speed limit on that road and Crawford lost control of the Honda as a result. As he attempted to navigate a bend, he collided at high speed into a concrete wall, killing Ewart and causing a catalogue of severe injuries to Ebanks.

According to the documents, the chase started when Crawford was stopped at a checkpoint in the early morning hours of 16 January 2021 on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. As PC Wilston Bennett approached the Honda, Crawford drove off, which led him to get into a police patrol vehicle and drive after him. As Crawford accelerated, PC Bennett continued the pursuit at high speed until they were both travelling in excess of 80mph.

The lawsuit claims that the RCIPS is vicariously liable for the actions of PC Bennett, who was acting in the course of his employment. Ebanks lists 15 reasons why Bennett, and by extension his employer, is liable for the crash, including what she claims was an unnecessary, disproportionate and unsafe pursuit, as well as driving above the speed limit without authorisation and failing to adhere to the RCIPS pursuit policy.

She also said that the officer failed to take into account the wet weather conditions, resulting in increased risks of a pursuit and a reckless disregard for the safety of others.

According to the RCIPS press office at the time, the pursuit had ended before the crash happened. A press release issued on 16 January 2021 said that the officers had activated the blue lights and sirens on the patrol car and followed the Honda “at a safe distance”, adding that “they soon lost sight of the vehicle and the decision was made to return to the checkpoint”.

Following the collision, Ebanks was in the Intensive Care Unit for a month and was bed-bound for three months. She continues to suffer as a result of multiple very serious injuries, including a fractured and shattered femur requiring surgery, a fractured tailbone, a shattered pelvis, a punctured lung and liver damage.

Ebanks said in the legal documents that she continues to suffer from lower back pain, swollen ankles, shoulder, neck and knee, severe headaches, insomnia and brain fog, anxiety and flashbacks, as well as personality changes, post-traumatic stress disorder and grief and bereavement arising from the death of Ewart.

Ebanks, who is represented by Broadhurst Attorneys, is seeking general and special damages plus expenses that she has incurred and continues to incur as a result of the collision and her injuries.

Search for the suit on the judicial administration’s website here, cause G0089/2023